New
New
Year 11
AQA

Finding your voice: choosing and researching a topic

I can choose an appropriate topic for my presentation and use research skills to begin developing ideas.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Finding your voice: choosing and researching a topic

I can choose an appropriate topic for my presentation and use research skills to begin developing ideas.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Part of being an effective public speaker is ‘finding your voice’.
  2. Developing your authentic voice is all about your views and your voice.
  3. When picking a topic you could choose something that is important to you.
  4. Creating a meaningful statement or title can help to develop and focus ideas in your topic.
  5. Effective research can elevate a presentation, but must come from credible sources.

Keywords

  • Authentic - to be genuine, real, or true to yourself, without pretending to be someone or something else

  • Unique - one of a kind, unlike anything or anyone else

  • Credible - believable or trustworthy

  • Reliable - consistently provides accurate and valid information; can be depended upon

  • Reputable - having a good reputation or being considered trustworthy and reliable

Common misconception

When choosing a topic, you should not choose something personal to focus on.

Choosing something meaningful and personal can help you to find and develop your authentic voice. It's all about ensuring you talk about the topic in enough detail and complexity, regardless of what you choose.

You may wish to adapt LC2 to suit the reserach resources available to your pupils.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these may not be considered a spoken language task?
discussing an issue
debating a point of view
presenting an idea
Correct answer: writing a story
Q2.
What could be considered the primary purpose of public speaking?
to entertain an audience
Correct answer: to communicate ideas effectively to an audience
to learn how to memorise a script
to create a persuasive speech
Q3.
The way someone holds themselves when they’re seated or standing is known as...
Correct answer: posture
pitch
pace
eye contact
body language
Q4.
A speech's tone refers primarily to...
its content
its delivery
its subject
its narrative voice
Correct answer: its mood or feeling
Q5.
Which of the following is an example of non-verbal communication in spoken language?
vocabulary
spelling
Correct answer: facial expressions
punctuation
Q6.
What is the correct definition of the word 'gesture'?
written or spoken communication intended to convey a specific message
Correct answer: physical movements used to express an idea or feelings
the volume and tone of a voice

6 Questions

Q1.
When choosing a topic for a presentation you could...
Correct answer: consider what matters to you
Correct answer: pick a topic you care, or feel strongly, about
copy someone else
Correct answer: think about what you want to say about the world
pick something you know nothing about
Q2.
Which of the following answers is not true? 'Finding your voice' can mean....
developing your own unique speaking style
feeling confident in how you express yourself
Correct answer: delivering a script in a robotic style
being authentic and impactful when you speak
using your natural strengths to communicate clearly
Q3.
Complete this sentence: an authentic voice is a voice that…
is practiced and rehearsed to perfection.
sounds like everyone else, following common trends.
Correct answer: expresses your true thoughts and feelings honestly and genuinely.
Q4.
Which word beginning with 'u' can be described as: 'one of a kind, unlike anything or anyone else.'?
Correct Answer: unique
Q5.
Which word beginning with 'c' could be used to complete this sentence: 'The evidence was , believable and trustworthy.'?
Correct Answer: credible
Q6.
Which of the following sources could be considered reputable?
a blog with no author information
Correct answer: a government website
a random online forum
a social media post